Niwa Family Christmas
by Silkylion10
Summary: COMPLETE Satoshi has never had anyone to care for him. What happens when Daisuke invites him to stay for Christmas? satoxdai PLEASE REVIEW my first fic BONUS CHAPTER UP
1. The Week Before

I hated Christmas.

It never had any meaning to it.

I suppose it reminded me that I was on my own. Krad had been long gone, sealed. Dark had managed to survive and get his own body. He now lived with the Niwas.

I had no one that cared about me.

None of my emotions ever showed. I had an ice barrier around my heart, stopping anything from getting through.

My 'father' only adopted me because I was from the Hikari clan. He was long gone.

Christmas…It was meant to be a happy time…

The rest of my class, including the teacher, had gone mad with the topic.

It was the last day of school. Daisuke was just as happy as the rest of them but there was something different about him. I glanced at him but returned to my novel.

"Hiwatari-kun?"

I looked up.

"Um…I was thinking…I know that you don't have many people around you and…um…I was wondering…" He stopped suddenly, and looked down.

"You were wondering…?" I asked.

"I was wondering if youwantedtostaywithmyfamilyforChristmas?" he said, all in one go.

"Are you sure?" I said, sceptical. "Do your parents agree?"

I knew what his mother was like. Slightly mad. I mean, what kind of person sets traps in their hallway for her son to dodge every time he got home. I also knew she hated me. It was because of Krad. She thought he would kill Daisuke or Dark.

"Actually…it was my mother's idea…" He was scratching the back of his head nervously, a faint blush across his cheeks.

"Alright."

"What?" He looked surprised at my response. I nodded.

"Everybody, take your seats!" The teacher shouted above the noise of the standard classroom.

"See you at lunch," Daisuke said, before he moved off to sit down.

-Lunch time—the school roof-

As I sat down, Daisuke appeared in the doorway to the stairs. He slid down next to me, leaning on the wall.

"Why did you ask me to stay with you for Christmas?" I asked. "Your mum thinks I'll kill you…"

"Well…she said that she thought it was safe now that Krad's been sealed," he said.

We made all the arrangements during lunch and I was to come over on the 23rd and stay until New Year.

-3 days later-

I was packed, ready to go. I had a small back with clothes etc. in it and my laptop in a case hanging of my shoulder.

Now, here I stood on the doorstep of the Niwa family's house. I looked at the house. I thought it was a bungalow with an attic. I rang the bell. A second later I heard a shout and Daisuke opened the door.

"Hi Hiwatari-kun. Come in" he said, slightly out of breath.

"Hey Niwa-kun," I said as I took of my shoes in the hall and placed them neatly next to each other.

"You can put your bags in my room, follow me."

I picked up my bag and followed him up past the living room and the kitchen and up the stairs. He entered the room at the top of the stairs. I followed him in and looked around. It was a decent sized room with a bunk against one wall. I looked over to where Daisuke was standing and saw a makeshift bed. He said it was where I sleeping.

I dumped my bags and flopped on to the bed.

"Hiwatari-"

I cut him off. "Satoshi." I said.

"What?"

"Call me Satoshi."

"Okay Satoshi-kun. I guess you can call me Daisuke. Anyway, dinner's nearly ready. We had better get downstairs."

I got up and followed him out of the room. We entered the living room and went through another door that I hadn't noticed. We sat at the table, where Dark, Daichii and Kosuke were already seated.

"Hello, Hiwatari-kun," said Kosuke. Daichii nodded at me in acknowledgement and Dark simply glared at me. I stared back at him, then greeted Kosuke and Daichii.

"Hi everyone!" Towa shouted as she entered the room. "Oh, hi Hikari-sama," she said looking at me.

"Towa-chan," I acknowledged.

"Why the –sama?" asked Dark.

"His family created me…remember…" Towa stated. "Anyway, Emiko-chan sent me to say that dinner is ready and she said she needed someone else to help her bring it in."

Daisuke immediately stopped talking to his father.

"I'll help. Come on Satoshi-kun."

I got up and we went into the kitchen. There were various bowls/plates full of food. Emiko turned around and gave me a pile of plates. Then she realised that she had given them to me.

"Oh. I'm sorry, Hiwatari-kun. It's rude to make the guests carry the plates. Go back to the table and send Dark."

I shrugged.

"Okay, Niwa-san."

"Don't call me that, it makes me feel old. Call me Emiko."

"Yes Emiko-san."

I went back through the doorway to the table.

"Dark, Emiko-san says you have to go and help out," I said as I slid into the seat I was in earlier, two up from Kosuke.

He just ignored me and went on gazing into space, obviously thinking of the latest girl to through herself at him. Either that or the next way to tease Daisuke.

"Dark, go help Emiko out," said Daichii, knowing full well that Dark wasn't going to listen to a word I said. Dark sighed and got up. He moved towards the doorway. "And don't ignore your guests. Hiwatari-kun is going to be spending Christmas with us. Learn to be civil towards him."

"Yeah, yeah,"

"Dark! I mean that"

"Okay. I heard you. I'll try but I can't promise anything." He glared at me.

"Dark! Come and get the food!" shouted Emiko from the kitchen, as Daisuke came past, carrying the plates.

"I'm coming!" he shouted back, still glaring at me.

-Later--Daisuke's room-

I flopped on my bed, and then pulled the bag with my laptop towards me. I unzipped it and set it up, plugging the wire into the plug a little further along the wall. I made sure the wire was out of the way so Daisuke wouldn't trip over it.

I found the document I was using and started to type.

Daisuke had just come up the stairs and noticed the tapping sound of the keys. He came over and –guess what- he tripped over the wire.

He landed face down with a thud on my bed.

He looked up, rubbing his nose.

"Sorry, Satoshi-kun," he said, blushing like mad.

"Don't worry about it."

He went over to his desk on the other side of the room and picked up a sketchpad and a pencil. He sat on the desk chair and started to draw.

I finished what I was doing and looked at the clock. 9:30pm. I went over to Daisuke. He didn't seem to notice me, until I was looking over his shoulder.

"That's good," I said, looking at the pad. He looked up, startled and tried to cover the pad.

"You don't have to be embarrassed," I said.

The drawing was a picture of me, typing on my laptop, like I had been doing a couple of minutes ago.

He closed the pad and placed it, and the pencil, on the desk.

"We should be going to sleep." With that, he went to his dresser, pulled out a pair of pyjamas and went into the bathroom to change.

I went to my bag, pulled out my own white pyjamas and changed. I was just finished and on my bed by the time Daisuke was done.

"Night, Satoshi-kun," Daisuke said as he climbed the ladder and landed heavily on his bed.

"Night Daisuke-kun," I said by way of a reply.


	2. 24th December

-24th December-

"Satoshi-kun…"

"Satoshi-kun, wake up…"

Daisuke shook my shoulders and I opened my eyes a crack.

"Hey…" I said sleepily. I looked up at him and saw he was still in his pyjamas. I glanced sideways at the clock. 8:30.

"Satoshi-kun, we've still got to finish the decoration. Please can you help out?" Daisuke said looking at me.

"Give me half an hour and I'll be with you," I said looking towards him from my position on the bed.

It took me 20 minutes to wake up properly, because of my low blood sugar level. After those 20 minutes, I dug in my suitcase and found my black cords and white shirt.

When I arrived downstairs, I went to the doorway of the living room. I could see Daisuke straight in front of me, next to the tree, decorating, while Dark was slouched on the couch ordering him about. Kosuke and Daichii weren't in sight so I guessed they were in the basement. I could clearly hear Towa and Emiko in the kitchen.

"Breakfast, Dai-chan, Hiwatari-kun!" shouted a voice from the kitchen.

Daisuke immediately headed towards the table and slid into his seat.

"Satoshi-kun, come on, you've got to eat," said Daisuke.

I shrugged then crossed the room and slid into the seat next to him.

"Daisuke-kun, what's for breakfast," I said.

"Dunno, but we'll find out in a minute."

After the breakfast of toast and fruit, Daisuke and I were asked to run errands around town.

We were sent into the centre and to the various shops in the area, getting the supplies for the next day.

"Satoshi-kun, what's wrong?" Daisuke asked as we started the walk home, through the park. "You've been silent this whole time."

I looked at him closely and saw his eyes were swimming with concern.

I sighed.

"It's nothing," I said. "It's just this is strange."

"Strange? What do mean?"

"I've never celebrated Christmas before. I've never had anybody to care for me before. Now I'm getting both at once."

"I've always cared for you. You're my best friend. And father, he likes you. He doesn't think anyone deserves to be treated as badly as you were."

"I was taught to shield my emotions from the outside way. Krad and my 'father' put me through hell, yet I wasn't allowed to show it."

I stopped walking.

Everything went black.

The next thing I knew I was at the Niwa's house, looking into Daisuke's worried face above me.

"You're awake!" he exclaimed. "Mum, Satoshi-kun's awake."

I stared at the ceiling for a couple of minutes trying to work out what had happen and failed.

I rolled over, so I was facing Daisuke.

"What happened?" I asked, still slightly groggy.

"You told me that you were put through hell, and then you collapsed. You were really pale and you looking like you were having trouble breathing. I carried you home and Mum looked over you. She said that it was just exhaustion."

"'Kay," I said and I was about to fall back to sleep when Emiko came in.

"Hiwatari-kun, you need to eat something," she said. She looked genuinely worried. "Here, drink this."

She handed me a mug of soup.

"Daisuke, yours is in the kitchen, I'll just get it for you." She hurried off, back downstairs.

I sat up, and swapped the hand that was holding the mug. As I sipped I looked towards Daisuke. This was getting to be an obsession. He was sat on his desk chair, looking at the computer screen.

I put my mug down on the floor and stood up. I wobbled slightly and leant against the wall for support.

I slowly walked over to Daisuke and looked over his shoulder.

What was there surprised me. He had a web page up on the dangers of eating too little. He must be truly worried. He realised I was behind him and spun around.

"Satoshi, wha-"he was cut off by his mother shouting up the stairs.

"Daisuke, your soup!"

"'Kay!" he shouted back and walked to the door and down the stairs. When he came back, he had a steaming mug of soup.

"You had better finish yours, Mum will get mad otherwise" he said, indicating the mug I had left on the floor. I nodded and went to pick it up.

After I had finished, we took our mugs down to the kitchen for Towa to wash.

"Thanks," I said, looking her way.

I headed back upstairs, to my laptop, 'cause I had some work to do.

Daisuke followed me and picked up his sketchpad. He then headed out into the balcony.

I logged on and started on the work, but I couldn't keep my mind on the job. Daisuke was clogging my thoughts.

I quit what I was doing and shut down.

When I packed up, I found my sketchpad and joined Daisuke. I looked over his shoulder.

Yet again the picture was of me, but this time I was sleeping with my arm hanging of the bed. My hair was ruffled and caught the light.

"That is beautiful."

Daisuke jumped out of his revere and spun around, narrowly missing hitting me.

"It's nothing…" he mumbled, blushing the way only he can.

I got my pad out and started to sketch the view.

"Why do you like to draw, Daisuke-kun?" I asked suddenly.

"I don't know. It's sorta… it's a thing that I do. Why?"

"The Hikari clan have always been the artists; the Niwa's have always been the thieves."

"I guess I go against tradition then…"

We drew in companionable silence, both comportable with the others presence.

When I next looked at my watch, I was surprised. 8:30. We had been out here for nearly two hours.

I packed up and went back into the room. I got changed and collapsed onto the bed.

Daisuke came in a few minutes later, grabbed his pyjamas off his bed and headed to the bathroom to change. Half a minute later, he emerged and climbed into his bed.

"Tomorrow's Christmas…" he sighed.

"Yeah, my first 'real' Christmas," I said, sleepiness clouding my voice and vision.

I soon dropped off and went into a dreamless sleep. Daisuke, however, stayed up, just watching me.


	3. 25th December

25th December – Christmas Day

I woke early and looked at the clock. 5:30. What the…I went back to sleep.

"Satoshi, wake up…"

"Huh…" I said groggily.

"Come on, it's nearly time to open presents," said Daisuke.

I glanced at the clock again and groaned. 9:30.

"Alright. I'm coming," I sighed.

"You'll want to wear something comfortable, it takes a while." I noticed Daisuke was still in his pyjamas.

"Daisuke-kun."

"Yeah," he turned.

"I don't have anything to give…"

"Don't worry about it. You weren't expecting anything like this."

I got up, stretched and followed him down the stairs.

When I entered the living room, I noted that everyone else was already there. They all wore something loose and comfortable.

Emiko noticed that we had arrived and pushed us to sit on the couch.

"Okay, we're all set know."

With that she went to Christmas tree and crouched down. She reached across to the presents and grabbed a couple.

"Lets see…One for Daisuke, one for Dark." She said and passed them out.

She did this to every present under the tree. Kosuke, Daichii, Towa and herself got about ten presents. Daisuke and Dark got about twenty each and I was surprised to find that I had four.

"Mum, can we open them now?" asked Daisuke, visibly eager.

"Not right now," replied Emiko.

"Please…" he whined.

"No. Lets get some breakfast," she announced.

"Aww…" he sighed. "Oh well."

"Satoshi-kun, I'll get something for you. What would you like?"

"I'm alright," I said.

"You've got to have something. Remember what happened yesterday…"

I sighed.

"Oh, okay then. Toast and some apple juice will be fine."

"Okay, 5 minutes."

Five minutes later, he came back with two plates. He gave one to me and placed the other on the couch next to me. He went back and came back with two glasses, filled with apple juice.

After we had eaten, we went back to the presents.

"Dark, open yours first."

"Fine…"

Most of his presents were chocolates, from raving fan girls, but there were others. Daisuke had given him a portrait of himself, and had taken a lot of time over it. There were clothes from Emiko and two books from Daichii and Kosuke. There were also some strawberries for Wiz.

Daisuke was next to open the presents. Yet again there were chocolates, from fans, but not as much this time. There was a new drawing pad and artist's pencils, some clothing, a computer game and a couple of books.

I was next. Since there were only four, I didn't have to read the label to find out who they were from. Daisuke had drawn me a portrait. I was sat on the balcony, drawing and looking out into the sunset. It must have been from last night. It wasn't coloured, just in the pencil outline. There was books from Daichii and Kosuke and a new drawing pad and pencils from Emiko. Daisuke must have told her…actually, no, it's the family thing again. Hikari.

Daichii, Kosuke and Emiko unwrapped all theirs as well.

"Satoshi, why don't we go up to the park and draw," Daisuke suggested.

I nodded.

"Can we mum?" he asked Emiko.

"After Christmas lunch. Go get dressed and clean yourselves up. Lunch is nearly ready," Emiko said as the reply.

We headed upstairs, carrying our presents.

When we reached the bedroom, I placed them on my bed. I dug in my suitcase and found some black trousers and a black shirt. My jumper that I was wearing yesterday was folded on the floor next to my bed.

I picked up my clothes and headed into the bathroom to change. By the time I had finished, Daisuke was ready and we headed back downstairs.

Lunch was already set out on the table when we arrived. I looked at it in wonder. I had never seen such food. There was a stuffed turkey in the middle of the table, with other dishes around it. There were Brussels sprouts, roast potatoes, cauliflower, small sausages wrapped in bacon, gravy, sauces and more.

"Well, now everybody's here, dig in!" exclaimed Emiko.

In that meal, I probably ate more than I usually did in two months. I was stuffed at the end, everybody was.

After we had helped washing up and drying etc. me and Daisuke were allowed up to the park.

We walked up in companionable silence. When we reached the park we found that it was very busy.

"Shall we head up to the fountain instead?" I suggested.

"Why not?" he agreed.

I had a reason for asking. I felt guilty that the Niwas had gone to the trouble of getting me presents and yet I hadn't done anything for them.

I was only going to do something for Daisuke though, not that they would mind. I had decided on a drawing, to repay him. A picture of the fountain would be perfect.

When we arrived it was practically empty, with only the odd person passing through. It was perfect.

I got my new drawing pad and pencils out of my bag and found a comfortable spot facing the fountain. Daisuke was a little way away, leaning on the railing and looking out at the sea.

As I drew, I thought. Why would Daisuke and his family be so willing to help me feel better? Why would they bother to get me presents? Why?

I looked at my picture. Perfect, I thought. The fountain was right in the centre. Around it was a fence. Off to the side was the railing, with a small person leaning on it. Behind it, you could see the ocean. The picture was still in a rough pencil, but I decided that it was perfect for him.

I packed up my things and stood up. I wobbled slightly, my legs were dead. I headed over to where Daisuke was, slightly stiffly. I looked at his pad over his shoulder. I was expecting a picture of the ocean, but what I saw surprised me.

It was another picture of me, this time bent over my sketchpad.

He must have realised I was there, and covered his pad. I had already had a good look. He must have been really wrapped up in his thoughts to only have noticed me half a minute after I moved.

"Why do you keep hiding them?" I asked.

"They're rubbish…" he said, a blush across his cheeks.

"But they're not. Don't be embarrassed. I don't mind being drawn." I reassured him.

"But they-" I interrupted

"No buts. They are amazing." I said.

I looked at my watch.

"We should be getting back. It's getting late."

"'Kay…"

--Daisuke's room—After dinner—

I was sat on my bed; Daisuke was at his desk working on something.

"Daisuke-kun?"

"Yeah?"

"Here. It's your Christmas present." I gave him the picture I had been working on earlier.

He looked at it.

"Wow…I don't know what to say. This is amazing. Thanks so much!" he said, looking at me I in wonder.

Suddenly he stood up and hugged me. It was a strange feeling. When I didn't react, Daisuke pulled away and looked down, blushing.

"I'm sorry…"

"Don't be sorry. You didn't upset me. I've never been hugged by anyone before, it's a strange feeling."

I went back to my bed and switched on my laptop. I had some work to do, before I was called back onto the job. I silently thanked Emiko for not sending out any notices for Dark.

A couple of hours later, Daisuke came over with a sheet of paper in his hand. I finished what I was doing and looked up at him.

"Here. I finished the other picture for you."

It was the picture of me typing on my laptop from two nights ago. It was perfectly coloured and you could see where the light caught my hair and glasses.

"Thank you," I said. I shut down the laptop and put it bag in its case. I then slipped the paper into my sketchpad. I pulled out another sheet of paper and handed it to him.

I had done another picture of him, this one with him blushing, looking shocked. The scene was from earlier in the day, when I had given the Christmas present.

"Wow…Thanks."

He blushed again.

"We should get ready for bed, it's getting late."

"Okay." I found my pyjamas and escaped to the bathroom. As I changed, I thought of Daisuke. Why become friends with me? I know Krad had gone but still… I realised something. Why he did this for me. Why I didn't want him hurt by Krad.

When I finished I headed back into the bedroom and saw Daisuke had already collapsed onto his bed.

"Daisuke-kun?"

"Huh?" he acknowledged.

"Daisuki…"

I collapsed on my bed and pretended to fall asleep immediately. I wanted to see if he had any reaction.

"Daisuki, Satoshi-kun…" he sighed.

Wow…


	4. 26th December

--26th December—

I woke up and looked at the clock. 7:00. It was still early.

When I looked up at Daisuke's bed, he was still asleep. I didn't want to disturb him so I quietly found some clothes and headed to the bathroom to change.

When I entered the bedroom again, Daisuke had just woken.

"Hey," he said. His voice was clouded with sleep.

"Hey," I replied. "I'll be on the balcony if you need me."

I had just reached the door when I heard a voice.

"Satoshi-kun."

I turned.

"Wait and I'll join you," he said as he went to his wardrobe.

"'Kay."

I came back inside and went to my bed. I grabbed my sketchpad and a pencil.

Daisuke had found some clothes and had changed by the time I found a pencil. He grabbed his sketchpad and a pencil and we went onto the balcony.

From his balcony, you could see out across the ocean and up the coast, until the Harada's house.

I made it look as if I was settling down to draw the ocean, but I didn't.

My pencil flew across the paper, making a picture. I didn't need to look up. I didn't have to. I knew exactly what Daisuke would look like when he was hunched over his pad, his pencil skimming the paper. I had seen it many times before.

I had finished the pencil outline and decided to colour it. I headed back inside and found the casing which housed my coloured pencils.

I went back onto the balcony and sat down where I was previously. I started with the eyes. A deep burgundy colour would be best. The hair would be scarlet, with paler patches where the light caught it. His skin was a pale peach colour, slightly darker across the cheekbones.

I had finished the picture by the time we were called down to breakfast.

When we were safely back in our room, I decided I had to know something.

"Daisuke-kun?"

He looked up from the comic he had in his hands.

"Yeah?"

"Did you mean what you said last night?" I was nervous. I was dreading the answer. It could either help me or it could spoil my only friendship that I had ever had.

"You heard that?" he exclaimed. He was blushing. It was obvious even if he had his head down. "I thought you were asleep…"

"Not quite…"

"Yes."

"You what?" I was surprised.

He was blushing even more now.

"I meant what I said and I still do…" he mumbled, only just loud enough for me to hear. "I wouldn't have said it if I didn't mean it…"

I only just managed to contain my happiness.

"You know, you can lose the mask around me."

I stared.

"What?"

"You always seem so emotionless around people. They think you're incapable of any feeling. Part of a human is emotion. You need to show it. If you lose the mask around me…maybe it will help to show people who you really are."

I had never thought about what people thought of me. It was never very important. I was always made to focus on my goal, whatever it was.

"Yes, but what am I really? A police commander failing to capture their target, time and time again. A university graduate. Until recently, I was just a container for Krad." I said miserably.

"You are more than that. Stop putting yourself down. You are a wonderful friend and advisor. You were a university graduate at 13. That's incredible." Daisuke said, facing me.

There was something in his eyes that I never seen before. Determination. He cared for me so much that he was determined not to let me put myself down.

"You are also a thief in your own right…" he finished.

I stared at him.

"What have I ever stolen?" I asked.

"You've stolen…my heart…" he mumbled.

"WHAT?"

"You heard me. I love you."

"Daisuke-kun…"

He turned away. I could see his shoulders shaking and could hear muffled sobs.

I went up behind him and hugged him. He stiffened, and then started to struggle.

"Don't," I whispered in his ear.

He stopped instantly. I turned him to face me, still holding him in my arms.

"I've waited so long for you to say that…" I mumbled in his ear. He wrapped his arms around me. "I love you too."

He tightened his hug until I could hardly breathe anymore. I hugged him just as tightly.

Our hug was broken by Emiko knocking on the door.

Daisuke pulled away and opened the door.

"Lunch's ready, here!" she said as she passed two mugs to Daisuke. He smiled in thanks and shut the door again.

"Here…" I took the mug handed to me and sipped at the soup gratefully.

As I drank, I thought. I had never thought Daisuke would return my feelings. Actually, I never thought Daisuke would like me at all.

I guess that was one of his good points. He cared for people, even if they did things that were wrong, or tried to hurt him. He saw what was inside people.

The current object of my thoughts waved his hand in front of my eyes.

"Hello, anyone in there?" he laughed.

"What? Oh, sorry…"

"It's alright. Anyway, what do you say to going to the fountain again?"

I nodded.

"Just let me finish this." I held up my mug.

"'Kay."

--Later--

We went and stood next to the railing, looking out over the ocean. Although it was still relatively early, the sun was on the horizon, casting orange, pink and purple rays into the clouds.

"It's beautiful…" Daisuke sighed.

"Not as beautiful as you."

He turned to me and launched himself into a hug. I stumbled backwards slightly, shocked.

"You are so sweet, you know…" he mumbled in my ear.

"As are you," I replied.

He stared at me. "You've got to stop doing that."

"Doing what?"

"Turning everything I say into a compliment."

"Why? Don't you like it?"

"It's embarrassing…"

We stood there for ages, just looking out to sea. It was dark now and getting colder.

"Daisuke-kun, we should get back. It's nearly 5."

"Have we been out here that long?!"

"Yep."

We headed home. We got there in record time, despite slipping over many times.

When Daisuke opened the door, we were upon by Towa.

"You're cutting fine guys! Emiko was about to send out a search party!" she exclaimed. We looked at each other.

"Oopps…"

"Dinner's out!" came a shout from inside.

We hurried to take off our shoes and then headed to the table.

After we had eaten, we headed back to the bedroom. I decided I should give him the picture I did earlier in the morning.

"Daisuke-kun, I've got something to give you…"

"Really?"

"Yeah, here," I said holding out the picture. He looked at it and blushed.

"It's amazing, Satoshi-kun!"

"It's nothing…"

"What to give you…what to give you in return," he mused aloud.

"You don't have to."

"But I want to!" he insisted. He came and stood in front of me. He slowly leaned forward and brushed his lips against mine. He pulled back and blushed even more.

"I'm sorry…"

"I didn't mind."

He stared at me.

"I know it's early, but I'd better get to bed-," I said but was interrupted by a yawn. "Oopps…"

Daisuke laughed.

"I don't blame you. Night."

"Night." I collected my nightwear and retreated to the bathroom to change. When I returned Daisuke had disappeared, probably out on the balcony I reasoned, the glass door was open. I walked to my bed, put my clothes away and collapsed into a deep sleep on my bed.


	5. 27th December

--27th December—

My eyes fluttered open and I looked out. I wondered where I was.

Then I realised. Daisuke's room. How could I forget? But wait… I could see my bed straight in front of me.

I tried to move but something tightened around my stomach. I felt the comforting heat and suddenly remembered what had happen during the night.

--During the night—

I looked around. Where was I? I was in a room. The walls and floor were totally white and there was no furniture of any kind. I looked to be stood in the middle but I didn't want to turn around. I had a very bad feeling.

"Satoshi-sama!" called a voice from behind.

'Oh, this is just great,' I thought to myself. Only one person called me Satoshi-sama. Krad. That explains the very bad feeling.

I turned, dreading what was going to happen. Krad was stood about two metres away, grinning like a maniac. Not that that was surprising.

"Satoshi-sama, it's been too long!" he said as he took a step forwards. I backed away. I didn't want anything to do with him. I had only just got rid of him months ago and I didn't want him back.

"Leave me alone!" I shouted at him.

"Come on, Satoshi-sama, I want to show you something…" he said as he took another step forward.

"No way!" I said backing away even more. I hit something solid, a wall. 'Damm.' I was trapped. There was nothing I could do except wait.

He slowly walked towards me, dragging out the torture. I sighed. I had a vague idea what he was going to do. I had had these sorts of dreams before, when Krad still resided inside my mind.

He finally reached me and grabbed my arm, pinning me against the wall. I didn't want to think of what he had hidden inside his robes.

"It's your lucky day, Satoshi-sama!" he exclaimed, sounding way too happy. "I've got a surprise for you!"

He released me and spun me into the middle of the room.

"There's something I want to show you, here, watch this," he said, pointing to a television that I hadn't noticed before.

He turned it on and a news channel came into the screen.

"Breaking News! We go directly to Sakura at the scene," said the newsreader in the studio.

Another picture came into shot. There was a woman there holding a microphone and a police officer.

"Thank you, Tomoyo. We have recently been told about a serious crash. A pedestrian crossing the main road was hit by a car and thrown across the road. He was killed instantly. It was a young boy around 14 or 15…" She broke off, listening to her earpiece. "The young boy has been identified. His name is Niwa Daisuke. If you have…" I tuned out at this point. Why???

I screamed.

I opened my eyes and sat straight up. I was sweating all over.

"Satoshi-kun…are you alright? You were screaming," a sleepy voice said on the other side of the room.

I couldn't speak. I heard movement on the other side of the room and a light flicked on. I shielded my eyes. I felt a weight on my bed and arms surrounding my shoulder, pulling me into Daisuke's body.

"It's alright, it was a dream…" he said as he wiped my cheek. I brought my hand up and found moisture. I was crying. I had never cried. Not even when I was little, I never remember crying.

Daisuke rocked me within his arms, comforting me.

"You can sleep in my bed if you want…I don't mind…" he mumbled in my ear. I stared at him.

"Are…are you sure?" I asked, uncertain.

"Yeah, it'll make you feel better."

"Okay…"

He stood up and pulled me up. I climbed up the ladder as Daisuke went to turn the light off. He climbed up to join me and lay down. He wrapped his arms around me and fell into sleep.

I soon joined him in dreamland, the heat helping to relax me.

--In the morning--

A came a voice from behind. "Satoshi? Do you feel any better?" it said.

I twisted round in the arms to face a sleepy Daisuke.

"Yes. Um…thank you for…you know…" I said.

"It's alright."

We got up and found our clothes. I headed to bathroom to get changed. When I returned Daisuke had finished changing and was at his desk, his pencil skimming the paper underneath.

I deposited my nightwear and went over to join him. I put my arms over his shoulders and rested my chin on the top of his head. He leant backwards into me but kept drawing. A picture of Dark was slowly forming in its early stages.

"BREAKFAST EVERYONE!!" Emiko shouted from the kitchen, waking anyone who wasn't already up. Various voices replied and we were all down at the table within two minutes.

Breakfast was set out on the table; cereal, toast, yoghurt, fruit etc.

We went back up to the bedroom. I didn't want to tell him, but I had to.

"Daisuke-kun?" I said from the balcony.

"Yeah?" he asked, coming out to join me.

I looked out over the water. "I can't stay any longer…I've got to go home today…"

"Oh…We'll still be together in a sense though…When are you going to go?"

"I was thinking of getting back after lunch…"

"We've still got this morning then!"

"Yep."

We decided to go to the park and just walk. The park wasn't very busy today; it was colder than any other day this year. We sat together on a bench watching the clouds go by.

I retrieved my pad from my rucksack, found a pencil and started to sketch the park. In front of us was the football field with a couple of boys playing who were well wrapped up against the cold. To one side there was the bandstand and to the other were the tallest trees in the park.

I didn't realise Daisuke had his pad out until I had finished my picture. I showed it to him and he turned his own pad around. There was his own version of the park, complete with football team, a band and a collection of tree climbers.

"Imaginative…" I commented. I looked at my watch. "Daisuke-kun, I think we should get back…"

"Why, what time is it?" I showed him my watch. "Oh no, this isn't good."

"I know." We quickly packed up and started to run back to the house. We made it to the door without falling over.

"Phew…Safe," I said.

"Not yet…" Daisuke said as he opened the door. "27th December is when mum puts the traps back together."

"Oh…" Together we worked out what tripped the traps, and quickly jumped, dodged and swung around the traps.

"Are we safe now?" I panted.

"Not yet, mum usually puts a live current through the door handle."

"Lucky I packed this then," I said holding up some insulation.

"Why…?"

"You never know."

I put the insulation between my hand and the handle and pulled. We made it in safely only to face a very angry Emiko.

"Where the hell were you?" she shouted.

"We went up to the park and lost track of time," I supplied.

"What were you doing you there?"

We both fished our pads out of our bags and held them open at the page with the picture of the park.

"Oh…" she started to walk away. "By the way, lunch is nearly ready so go clean yourselves up"

We took our bags up to the bedroom and dumped them on the floor. We then went to the bathroom and washed our hands. They had been covered with smudges from the pencils.

When we reached the table, lunch was set out. Soup and bread, the traditional winter lunch.

After we'd eaten, I returned to Daisuke's room and started to pack my things. Most of it was still in the suitcase, but what was out was quickly repacked. I knew what was in front of me when I got home. Washing.

Daisuke had come up to see if I needed any help. He helped to carry my bags down. He said that Kosuke offered to give me a lift home and I agreed.

The car ride went smoothly, and we made it to my apartment in record time. Daisuke helped to get my bag into the building.

"Daisuke-kun, thanks for inviting me," I said, as I leant against my doorframe.

"It's okay…you're welcome to come over any time…"

"Really?" I asked. I had never had anyone that welcomed me so much. I was hated by my few family members that were actually still alive. They despised me because I was the container of Krad.

"You're welcome to," he replied, smiling.

"Thanks. You had better get back to your father, he'll be wondering where you are."

"Yeah," he sighed. He leant forward and lightly brushed his lips against mine, sending shivers through me.

"See you…" he walked down the corridor, me staring after him. He turned at the stairs and waved. He then jumped down the stairs, leaving me alone.

I turned and entered my apartment. I withdrew any dirty clothes and dumped them in the washing machine.

I went to the sofa and collapsed. I sat up and dragged my laptop bag towards me. I needed to get some things done before school started. I settled into the uncomfortable silence of my apartment and got to work.

Now that I wasn't at the Niwa's I was started to feel lonely again. Maybe it was Daisuke's presence in the room which lit it up. All I knew is that I was starting to draw into myself again. Maybe Daisuke had stopped me doing that.

Maybe Daisuke just helped me to come out of myself. Maybe he was just wanted to help me.

I fell asleep on the sofa. Only one word was on my lips. Daisuke…

A/N: I didn't think I'd get any reviews at all for this story so thanks go to all my reviewers. If I get 25 reviews, I'll do a bonus chapter for New Year.

Sorry for the delay in updating, my computer's having trouble connecting to the internet.


	6. 31st December1st January

--31st December—

I stared at my laptop. I had nothing else to do but work. I wished that someone would come round and help me out. But who was there? Only Daisuke, but he was with his family for New Year.

I know it was sad to work on the Christmas holidays but I nothing else to do. After I came home from Daisuke's house, I nothing to distract me.

RING RING!! The phone frightened the life out of me. At least it meant I had something to do. I was only called when Dark had a note sent out.

"Hello?" I asked.

"Satoshi-kun!" Okay, scrap the thing about work…

"Daisuke-kun, why did you call?"

"I wanted to know if wanted to stay over tonight, for the New Year."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I want to be with you. Then you'll have somebody to share it with. You've already spent Christmas with us, you may as well come over for New Year…" he reasoned.

"What time should I be over?"

"Can you come later this afternoon?"

"Okay, see you then."

"Oh, before I totally forget, mum says to bring some pyjamas or something comfortable to wear."

"I will, I'll be over later."

"See you!"

I put the phone down and went back to my laptop. I had three hours to waste before I went over there. I settled into the uncomfortable silence of my apartment and completed all the stuff I had to do, which was odd because it should have taken me much longer.

I grabbed a rucksack and shoved my drawing pad, pencils, nightwear and anything else I would need in it. I exited and locked the door. I passed through the lobby and headed out down the street.

It took me half an hour to walk over there and when I reached the Niwa's house, I was knocked over by Daisuke as he tumbled into me. I landed hard on the floor, dazed, with Daisuke on top of me. He blushed furiously as he got up and offered me his hand.

"Sorry about that, Satoshi-kun," he mumbled as he helped me up.

"It's alright. I'm just a bit sore," I said, reassuring him I wasn't hurt.

"Come in…" he said, pulling me through the door. I slipped off my shoes and followed Daisuke to his room. I placed my bag on my previous bed, which didn't look like it had been moved at all.

I started to think. I was spending more and more time with Daisuke. He was the only person who liked me for who I am. Most people like me for my looks, or so I've been told.

"Satoshi-kun, dinner's ready," Daisuke said, bringing me back to the real world.

"Coming. Why do I always make it to yours just in time for dinner?" I asked as I crossed the room.

"I dunno. You must really like mums cooking if that's the case," he replied, sitting at the table. I slid into the seat next to him.

"What's this I hear about my cooking?" came Emiko's voice as she brought the food to the table. Daisuke looked at me.

"I said, Satoshi-kun must really like your cooking because he always makes it here just in time for dinner," he explained.

"Why thank you, Hiwatari-kun," she said, turning to me.

We ate dinner in relative silence and then Daisuke and I retreated to his bedroom.

"This is strange…again…"I sighed as I sat on my bed.

"What is?" he asked, fetching his drawing pad and sitting on the chair.

"This…It feels…it feels weird just to have people caring about me…Up to now, I've been pretty much ignored by everyone…You were the first person that showed me that they actually cared…"

Daisuke placed his pad on the desk, came over to me and sat next to me. He put his arms around me and hugged me to him. One of his hands reached up and gently wiped my face. I leant over and rested my head on his shoulder.

"People do care about you, but they decide not to show it. They don't want to be teased or made fun of. I know I hated it when Dark started teasing me for worrying about what Krad was doing to you," he whispered, laughing a bit at the last comment.

I sighed. It was just so weird.

"You can always find a way to stop me withdrawing into my mind, you know that?" I asked. He laughed.

"I care about you. I don't want you to hurt yourself - emotionally or physically…" he replied, hugging me closer.

He got up and looked for something on the desk. He returned with a sheet of paper and a pencil.

"What's this for?" I asked.

"It's for a drawing game. What you do is we take it in turns to draw the head, body, legs and feet. It's got to be based on someone we know. We unfold the paper and see what we have."

"Okay, shall I start?"

"Yeah," he said giving me the paper and pencil. I thought about what to draw and decided on Takeshi's head. I folded the paper and passed it to Daisuke. He drew something, folded it over and passed it back. I drew Dark's trousers, folded and passed the paper. He drew some feet then gave the paper to me to unfold.

I unfolded the paper and then did something that I had never done before. I laughed. Daisuke snatched the paper off me, looked at it and joined me laughing. The figure had Takeshi's head, Wiz's body, Dark's trousers and Emiko's feet. It was enough to set anyone off laughing.

We kept playing that game and soon had a pile of hybrid monsters. We took them downstairs and gave them to everyone else. We explained what they were and then retreated back upstairs.

Daisuke opened the glass door onto the balcony. The opening of the door sent a rush of cold air into the room and I shivered. Daisuke noticed and closed the door. He came over and wrapped his arms around me.

"Are you cold, Satoshi-kun?" he asked.

I smiled. "Well, I was…but now I'm fine," I said. He rested his head on my shoulder and closed his eyes. I looked down on him and smiled. My Daisuke. My hand reached up and I stroked the soft, spiky hair. I liked the way it felt, slipping through my fingers.

I sighed happily. It was the first time I had ever felt this safe.

"Dai-chan, there's one minute!" shouted Emiko from downstairs. Daisuke pulled away and looked at the clock. 11:59.

"One minute," Daisuke breathed, settling his head back on my shoulder.

30 seconds. I looked down at him.

10 seconds. I placed my hand under his chin.

9

8

7

6

5 I lifted his head up so he was looking into my eyes.

4

3

2

1 I lent forward…

--1st January—Happy New Year--

…and pressed my lips against his.

Daisuke froze at the unexpected contact. I pulled back and looked into his eyes. They showed…shock…but mostly happiness.

He hugged me, pulling me back towards him.

"I'm sorry, Daisuke-kun. I had to do that…" I whispered in his ear.

"It's alright," he mumbled. "Um…can you…can you do it again?"

"I suppose so…" I leant down slightly and pressed my lips against his, lightly at first.

He pulled back, a blush covering his cheeks, and hugged me close. We stood there for a while, happy in each others company.

"Satoshi-kun…you are going to stay up and watch the sunrise with me, right?" Daisuke asked.

"I'll try but I don't think I'm going to make it. I haven't slept well lately…"

"You should sleep then, if you need it. Actually, I'm pretty tired as well."

I fetched my pyjamas out of my rucksack and headed to the bathroom to change. When I returned, Daisuke had changed and was sat on his bed with his drawing pad on his knees.

I carefully folded my clothes and put them at the end of my bed. I went over to Daisuke and tried to see the picture he was drawing, but he was too high up.

He saw me and turned the pad round, blushing lightly. In the picture, I was laughing, holding a piece of paper. The sketch was in its roughest stages but it was still amazing.

"You should have more confidence in yourself, Daisuke-kun, your drawings and sketches are amazing," I said.

"They're not amazing compared to yours," he replied, his blush deepening slightly.

"Yeah, but you and I can't help that. It's my genes, I can't do anything to change that. I'm a Hikari whether I like it or not…" I finished bitterly.

"Yeah, but still…"

"Think about it, Daisuke-kun, you're the only artist in the Niwa family. That's an achievement in itself. But you are also a very good artist. You have talent, without the genes."

"I suppose…" he mumbled.

I walked back to my bed and lay down, snuggling underneath the duvet and blankets. I really liked staying here. Even if Emiko and Dark didn't like me all that much, I still felt welcome here.

"Night, Satoshi-kun," Daisuke said from the other side of the room, putting his pad away and climbing on to his bed.

"Night, Daiuske-kun," I replied, slowly starting to fall asleep, in the one place I had ever felt safe and welcomed.


End file.
